It took Seven Years to Fall In Love
by write12345
Summary: Sophia, a hufflepuff, is desperate to find the boy she loves in the mists of the battle for Hogwarts. But this boy was the most unexpected love of her life she could have thought, and as she searches she thinks about their history over the last 7 years.
1. First Year

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter

_Where was he?_

My stomach clenched as I shoved through the throng of students, heading out of the castle into the Hog's Head through the tunnel. I wished I had never had to walk with Thomas to Hog's Head, but he was too frightened for anything less from me. People were too scared, or angry or worried to notice me as I moved backward, all except one person.

"Sophia! Where are you going the battle is about to begin!" Pippa gripped my arm as we pasted, her bright red hair plastered to her forehead with sweat, panic in her eyes. Pippa had been my best friend since the train ride to Hogwarts our first year; we were sorted together in Hufflepuff, roomed together and bonded at the hip. But not even she could have stopped me at this point.

"I have to go find Mason." I said, my mind whirling as the panic of the battle approaching rose.

Pippa didn't stop me, actually for a moment she didn't say anything. Pippa just looked at me, concerned, and then she spoke.

"I always swore you were meant to be a Gryffindor," She said near tears as she hugged me tightly. Pippa was too good of a friend for me, she wasn't going to try to stop me from going after Mason, no matter how badly she wanted to. As we pulled back, she said with determination, "I'm coming with you."

I set my jaw, "No you aren't."

"But Sophie-" Pippa began, with desperation in her voice.

"Go through the tunnel, find Thomas, watch over him if I don't get out." I said with no room in my voice for agruement.

"Don't talk like that!" Pippa said, her eyes shimmering with tears, "And it doesn't matter, you can't stop me if you tried.."

"Please, Pippa! Just promise you will stay!" I exclaimed, noticing the throng ahead beginning to dwindle toward the Room of Requirement entrance.

"I won't make that promise!" Pippa choked, spinning around and then gripped my hand, "You stuck with me second year when I had nightmares about the monster and now I'm sticking with you." Without saying another word, Pippa grabbed my hand and shouldered her way through the throngs.

I don't think I could ever have meet a better person than Pippa.

With fear in my gut and panic around me I couldn't help but squeeze Pippa's hand tightly as we began to the mouth of the tunnel. In the back of my mind though, I couldn't help myself but find the dark humor that year ago, I never would have imagined I was this worried about Mason Turner.

**First Year**

Sitting down in the red seats of Hogwarts express I felt a twang of fear settling into my stomach. Grandma had said that Hogwarts would teach me how to not make the neighbor's dog float around the yard but what if I wasn't magic enough? I fumbled with my hem of my t-shirt nervously and desperately wished I had more than just an eleven year old letter from Mum to give me hope about my future. Next to me Hattie, my tabby cat, watched me, flicking her stripped tail back and forth. She never liked tight spaces, especially her cage.

Suddenly the compartment door slid open and a round, freckle faced girl poked her head in, bright red curls spinning out of control around her face.

"Sorry, but is this set taken? All the others are full." She asked. When I nodded, a toothy smile broke out on her face, revealing a gap between her two front teeth that was quite endearing.

As she dragged her things inside, the girl introduced herself, "I'm Pippa Porter and this..." Pippa said as she brought in a cage containing a soot colored owl, "...is Magnolia."

"Sophia Preston." I said, smiling, feeling a little less shy. When Pippa's bright blue eyes shifted to Hattie's cage, I saw apprehension in her face.

"You don't have to worry about Hattie!" I said quickly, "She's rather likes owls as friends rather than prey."

Pippa smiled again and sat down. "You have a magical family then? Since your cat hangs out with owls, I mean."

I nodded, suddenly feeling strange that I didn't have to hide that fact anymore, "My Mum's side are magical and so my brothers but my Dad's a muggle."

"A muggle?" Pippa said with enthusiasm, which I would later learn was just a part of her personality, "You lived in the muggle world?"

From there a conversation sprang about families (Pippa was an only child born with two pureblood parents), about animals, about basically everything under the sun until our compartment opened again.

Two boys entered into the compartment. The boy on the right looked like the an american football played; broad shoulder and thick armed with button nose and green eyes hidden under messy brown hair. But the other...

"Sorry loves, but have you two seen the food cart?" Said the boy on the left. Dark blue eyes alight with laughter.

"Not yet," Pippa answered with a smile, "But you can sit with us if you like and wait for it."

As the pair sat down, I felt my face turn red with a blush because of the sudden closeness to the boy on the left.

"You two have names?" Pippa asked as she hefted Magnolia's cage to make room for the larger boy.

"My name is Jackson Pier." Said the one who looked like American football player.

"I'm Mason, Mason Turner." Mason said with a smile. Dark curly hair and a pair of mischievous eyes, I felt my silly heart squeeze. My first prick of love, my eleven year old brain thought. Until the cart arrived and we all started talking about houses.

"You guys decided which house you wanted yet?" Pier asked as the cart lady left.

"Well, I'm hoping for Hufflepuff." Pippa said with a bright smile full of hope.

That's when Turner and Pier snorted into there chocolate frogs like it was joke.

"Hufflepuff?" Pier asked with raised eyebrows when he realized Pippa was serious.

"Yeah," Pippa said confused, "I heard the most loyal and kind were in Hufflepuff."

"And stupid." Mason said rather loudly considering he was muttering under his breath.

"What?" I snapped, shocked. I must have heard him wrong, I thought. My mum was from Hufflepuff and my mum was not stupid.

"Hufflepuff is full of the stupidest batch of witches and wizards in Hogwarts. Never met a smart one. That's why I'm going to hope for Ravenclaw, smartest wizards in Hogwarts. What about you Sop-" But Mason-I mean Turner because no such person deserved to be called my his first name- never finished because by then, I had already emptied my cup of pumpkin juice all over his head.

"My Mum was a brilliant witch and intelligent woman and she was a Hufflepuff. So don't you ever, _ever _say a bad word about Hufflepuff you giant git!" I said shaking with anger.

Pippa and Pier's mouth had fallen open and they were completely speechless. But Turner wasn't.

"I was just saying basic fact!" Turner retorted, with just as much anger as me, "And don't go calling me a git! And how am I suppose to know if your mum was even intellig-"

But again, Turner didn't finish. By that point I had already punched Turner in the nose as hard as an eleven year old could.

When Turner and Pier left the compartment and Pippa burst into a fit of giggles. For some reason she found my insanity a perfect reason to become my best friend. That moment of anger between Mason and I had been the pivot point in my life, because if it had never happened, I would never have asked the Sorting Hat to put me in Hufflepuff when it mused about Ravenclaw, I would never had become like sisters with Pippa, and I would never left that lasting impression on Mason that I did.

And if that moment had never happened I would never have gone running back toward the Battle of Hogwarts to find him.


	2. Second Year

"Pippa! Sophie!" It was Pier, who we recognized first in all the chaos of the shaking castle. It had only been 5 minutes since the Room of Requirement's door had shut behind us and already the school was shaking under the weight of enchantments trying to break in. The castle shook again and Pippa tripped into Pier's arms, and in an awkward hugged he lifted to her feet. There was a moment where their eyes locked and he kissed her hard on the mouth. They had such an innocent love as visible as the moon in the sky.

"Come on," Pier said, grabbing Pippa's hand and walking swiftly toward the banister when Professor Trelawney was standing with a bulging bag. I followed after him, hoping Mason wasn't far.

"What are we doing from there." Pippa asked, as we scurried up the stairs, scrambling around as the castle shook. I heard screaming and instantly my stomach clench, the Death Eaters had broken through the first barricaded.

Pier opened his robe a little revealing a big bag with a grin,"Exploding potions, whipped them up with Mason about an hour ago."

At the mention of Mason's name, I went ridged, "Where is Mason?"

"He went to the front lines, Soph," Pier said as he but the bag down on the floor, carefully avoiding my eyes.

"Mason is _where_?" I said, my heartbeat ramming.

Pier stood up and looked down from his tall height at me in sadness, "I tried to stop him, but Soph, he said he was going for you."

"What?" I exclaimed.

"He wanted to try his hardest to let you and the others get to safety." Pier said, "He really does love you."

_That git! _I thought angrily, looking down a blue bottles, the cap hissing with steam or smoke. I picked one up and looked at the shimmering blue contents.

"I'm finding him," I said quickly, pocketing the potion before Pippa or Pier could stop me, and charged down the stairs into the screaming throngs of the battle.

The bottle burned hot against my stomach but that might have been since Mason and Pier had only ever been good a making acids and explosions. Potions had always been crazy with them.

**Second Year**

"How many snake fangs go in?" Turner whispered to Pier behind me and Pippa.

"I don't 5?" Pier guessed.

Hufflepuffs had potions with Ravenclaw and although I was grateful it wasn't Slytherin, I could do without the fear of being killed in an explosion.

"Snape's coming, come on!" Turner urged.

I looked at Pippa, and she looked back at me. We both had finished minutes ago, our Hair-Raising Potion brewed into perfection. Every since Turner had called Hufflepuff's stupid on the train I spent most of my time doing my best to prove him wrong, studying, practicing and brewing whenever I had the time.

"Okay, we are putting in six." Turner said.

"Oh for the love of God!" I hissed, both Pippa and I whirling around to repair the damage. I grabbed three snake fangs from the bowl and pounded them into thin dust as quickly as I could as Pippa ripped small mistletoe leaves and together we both dumped the ingredients into the boy's caldron.

"You said Hufflepuffs were stupid." Pippa snorted. As of this point Pippa and I considered Turner and Pier our sworn enemies; they were arrogant little gits constantly trying to one up Pippa and I. Of course they failed, because Pippa and I were unstoppable. But still the boy's didn't everything short of pulling our pigtails to annoy us.

"Now stir this for a minute!" I snapped before turning around only to be faced with Snape glaring down at me.

"Miss Preston," Professor Snape said in his slow drawl, "What do you think you are doing?"

I swallow, "I was ju-"

"You were just giving Mr. Turner and Mr. Pier instructions, which I had believed was my job. Ten points from Hufflepuff and detention for all four of you."

"But-" Pier began but Snape shortly cut him off.

"Mr. Pier and Mr. Turner will be cleaning out the fourth floor hallway with Flinch tomorrow at six." Snape said quickly, "And Miss. Preston and Miss. Porter you will be helping Madame Pomfrey in the Hospital Wing at the same time."

Pippa and I sat quietly the rest of the class, although when class ended, I could practically feel the steam pour from my ears. I got in trouble because of Turner? And yet still, he had yet to even whisper a thank you! That git!

But to my surprise Turner and Pier actually walked up to Pippa and I.

"You guys didn't have to help us," Pier said, "but you did, so thanks."

Pippa smiled, "Your welcome," and as if a flurry of rainbows had burst into the sky over Pippa's head she added, "Perhaps you could return the favor, I heard your could with your charm, Pier."

Pier smiled a smile I had never seen him wear, a sheepish, shy smile. "You could say that."

"Than help me with the Momentum spell." Pippa said, hooking her arm around Pier's and marching out of the dudgeon.

After watching them leave, chatting easily, Turner turned to face me, but instantly I busied myself with collecting my books.

"Preston thank you." Turner breathed

"Your welcome." I said, quickly, wishing him away as I turned to leave.

"Is there anyway I can make it up to you?" He blurted as I began to walk away up the stairs

"Nope." I responded, walking faster.

I heard him sigh behind me and jog to cut me off.

"Move Turner," I snapped.

"Not until you say what I can do." Turner snapped back.

"Move!" I answered, side stepping him.

"Hey wait!" Turner caught up with me again, much to my chagrin, "I can help you with one of your classes." Turner offered, matching my pace.

"I have better marks than you." I said, then gave him a sideways glance, "And you know that."

"I'll..." Turner thought for a moment and than snapped his fingers.

"What?" I asked, suddenly interested.

"What do you have next?" Turner asked ignoring my question.

"Free time with Pippa, I was going to the library." I answered shortly, wondering where he was going with this, "Why?"

"Oh no reason just thought I would ask." Turner responded as we walked up down the hallway that led to the library.

"No, there's a reason." I said, confused.

"I just wanted to walk you to library, and then I'll give you your reward."

"I don't need one." I responded, becoming more and more confused by Turner's behavior.

"Hufflepuff modesty," Turner snorted, "One of your many interesting traits."

The sarcasm hit my ears, and I retorted, "Your Ravenclaw arrogance shines pretty brightly too."

I heard Turner swallow and we walked the rest of the short way in silence. An awkward silence that made me insanely glad when we reached the Library.

"Okay what's this great reward?" I asked, turning to face Turner.

And suddenly, with all the pressure of a feather, Turner planted a kiss on my cheek and walked away, whistling a cheery tune.

Suddenly completely dazed, confused and even a little angry for his sureness I wouldn't punch him in the nose again (perhaps thats why he left so fast), I reached my hand up and touched my cheek where his lips had touched. It felt hot and tingled. But even in this state that boarded between anger, shock and overall shyness I couldn't help but notice the sign on the library door.

**FOR PRECAUTION ALL STUDENTS SHOULD TRAVEL IN GROUPS TO PREVENT FURTHER PETRIFICATION**

**-TEACHERS**

I couldn't help myself but spin around and yell,

"Did you just try to protect me from the monster?"

And Turner called back, "I have no idea what your talking about." He was lying and I knew it and suddenly Turner didn't seem nearly so awful.

But still he was a git who got me trouble.

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	3. Third Year

Scream echoed loudly around me and almost as instantly as I stepped off the stairs I dodging hexes and spells. I ran toward the front entrance that was already broken open. Death Eaters streamed in as a hoard and their shrill battle cries chilled me through to my core. I suddenly felt detached from the battled, just for a minute before I heard a yell and turned just in time to jump out of the way of a green stream of light.

I whipped around and saw a masked Death Eater, aiming his wand at me again and launching another spell.

"_Conjunctivitis!_" I casted instantly. My spell spun out of my wand and seeped into the Death Eater's mask. His eye sight would be gone in second.

"_Avada Kedavra_!" The Death Eater shouted but the spell missed horribly, striking a statue behind me. Suddenly the proximity of the battles around me became a concern, I couldn't let a wayward spell hit the wrong person.

"Expelliarmus!" I shouted. The wand flew from his hand and fell into the chasos. With no way to cast a proper spell the Death Eater charged, hands out stretched to choke my throat. Again I raised my wand and yelled, "Petrificus Totalus!"

The Death Eater froze up and then backward making a hollow clunking noise as he hit the ground. I couldn't kill him, that much I knew, but leaving him like this in the middle of a battle seemed just as awful.

I duck toward the fallen Death Eater. His eyes were filled with a mixture of fear and anger, I almost felt sorry for him. I point my want down at his forehead and whispered out, "Protego".

Quickly, I stood up and charged back out into the battle, hoping my spell would hold out. It had been years since my last use of Protego and that wasn't even against an attack.

**Third Year**

"Hey Preston!" I heard my name called behind me and when I turned I saw a snowball on a collision course with my face.

"Protego!" I said, dropping my treats from Honeydukes. A shield erupted from my dragon core and vine wand and the snowball hit it harmlessly.

"Turner, Pier! You morons!" Pippa yelled at them dropping her belongings from Hogsmead, which we had only just returned from, and making a snowball.

"Bring it on, Hufflepuff!" Pier called out as the boys ducked behind trees. The thin, sparse trees around the frozen lake didn't hide his broad shoulders

"With pleasure!" Pippa exclaimed throwing the snowball. The snow made a direct hit with Pier's right shoulder, and in a hysterically bad moment of acting, clutched his shoulder and fell backward, faking death.

"That's one," Pippa laughed gathering more snow into her hands and charging toward Pier's shape in the snow.

"So where's the other?" I mused gathering my own snow in my hands.

"Hey, Sophia!" My heart instantly leaped to my throat as I turned around and found myself trapped in the dreamy eyes of Wayne Hopkins.

"Hi-i Wayne." I stuttered, trying to remain calm when I felt as jittery as if I had a million pixies in my gut. Wayne was the nicest, sweetest most wonderful boy in all of the Hufflepuff house, always helping first years and students. Sometimes, when I'm helping out Madam Pomfrey in the hospital wing, Wayne visited me.

"How was your Hogsmeade trip?" Wayne asked his big brown eyes making me feel like I was the most important person in the world.

"It was great, very interesting the way everything is so open, I'm still not use to the idea of doing magic in a shop." I gushed out. It was so hard for me to talk naturally with Wayne, everything felt too weird to say.

Wayne chuckled nervously and then began to, "Hey you know Madam Puddifoot's? I was wondering if-"

Just as I thought my heart would stop beating, I felt something icy cold smack into my back. I heard Turner's laughter as I let out a gasp of air so loud people in America could have heard. I whipped around, a feeling of anger only he was ever able to draw up flushing through me.

"Got you, Badger-girl!" Turner laughed, his voice filled with triumph. He was a foot away and even if the aim of my spell was amazing, I was still itching to grab my wand.

In an angry silence, I couldn't protest when Turner walked up to me and Wayne.

"Want to join the battle, Hopkins? This little warrior might even go easy on you." Turner said smiling, gripping my shoulders.

"Warrior?" Hopkins asked, his delicate eyebrows fused in confusion.

"You don't know about Preston's arm?" Turner asked in shocked, obviously fake. He turned to me and put on a fake smile, "Then I must be special since you haven't use it on him yet." Turner turned back to Wayne, "This one has a great punch when she get's angry."

"Oh." Wayne said, looking at me as though I were a Death Eater. "Well, I'll see you later Sophie."

I shrugged Turner's hands off and tried to regain composure, but Wayne was already shuffling away through the snow and I was too much a coward to call after him after that spectacular show of Turner at his best.

Angry, I whipped around and shoved Turner's shoulder, "You are the biggest arse I ever met!"

"What? I was just having a bit of fun, I never knew you were so sensitive." Turner said, faking innocence.

"Drop the act! You knew he was about to ask me out, and you couldn't resist the chance to ruin some part of my day." I snapped.

"Oh, please you can't possibly have any feelings for that walking bore! That boy could put Professor Binns to sleep." Turner retorted, his face red with either cold or anger.

"Just because you think your the only person in the world who has anything interesting thing to say doesn't mean everyone else agrees!" I yelled. He had to be the most infuriating boy in the world, I thought as I continued, "And now the only boy I've like who showed me the slightest bit of interest in me if terrified of my apparently violent temper!"

"Apparently?" Turner scoffed, slightly shaking his head and throwing his hands up, "I think history has already proven that little fact."

"I hate you!" I yelled, as I slammed my heel into Turner's foot.

He yelped in pain, and while clutching his foot yelled back, "I hate you too!"

I turned around, and stormed away toward the castle, completely forgetting about Pippa. I hated Turner for making me have a temper. I hated for acting as though he could just pull few puppet strings and ruin my day. I hated him so much!

"Who in Merlin's name would ever crush with a crazy Hufflepuff like you!" Turner yelled after me. The comment stung but not enough to keep me from retorting.

"And who could ever love an arrogant Ravenclaw from hell!" I yelled back.

Well, me apparently.


	4. Fourth Year

"_You have one hour. Dispose of your dead with dignity_." The cold, high voice of You-Know-Who- I mean Voldemort, froze my heart. Never had I heard a sound of something that frighten me so much as the Dark Wizard's voice. A nightmare in real life. "_Treat your injured."_

The entire battle froze as the voice continued, the Death Eater's grinned at their shocked opponents as they apparated away.

"_One hour."_

A moment after the announcement finished, Professor Mcgonagall suddenly took charge, even before the panic could set in our hearts.

"Everyone to Great Hall! Take the injured to injured to the front and any witch or wizard with a speck of healing magic had better follow!" She order, and instantly all the warriors took to finding the injured

"Preston!" I whipped around, my heart filling with relief as I saw the stern face of Madam Pomfrey as she bustling her skirts gathered in one hand and a wand in the other, "Preston your coming with _me."_

Instantly knowing what Madame Pomfrey was implying as she grabbed my arm and continued to walk, "But I'm no healing wi-"_  
_

"Preston," Madame Pomfrey stopped her march and faced me, her wand incredibly close at my nose, and said, "You've got to stop this modesty. You are incredibly talented at this magic and I knew that since the moment you stepped in the hospital wing you second year for detention! So come along because you are the only witch in this entire castle I would trust in this situation!" There was no room for argument in Pomfrey's voice and when long ago I learned that no one said no to Madame Pomfrey not even Dumbledore when he was alive.

The injured piled up around Madame Pomfrey and I, some missing arms, other legs. Some people's eyes were completely blacked out by a blinding curse. A few were covered in searing burn marks that blistered and hissed as though still hot.

But I didn't flinch. Healing magic was what came as naturally to me as it transfiguration came to others. I wasn't squeamish to blood and when I was attending to someone, I could be brave. I could be daring, I could take a risk. Madame Pomfrey and I joked about how commonly Gryffindors came into the hospital wing needing new bones or a bandage, but I had always been jealous. They were fearless, something I could never be. Expect now.

The man in front of me; His face and body looked like someone had put him through a paper shredder, repeatedly. Ghastly pale, and breathing shallow, the man's muscles were kept clenched as he clearly fought back the desire to cry.

___"Vulnera Sanentur, _Vulnera Sanentur, _Vulnera Sanentur"_ I casted, the man's breathing easing down as the wounds healed.

A boy tottered up to where Madame Pomfrey and I were working, asking if we could use any help. Without even looking up from her work on a older woman green colored cut, Madame Pomfrey flicked of her wand and several rolls of bandages appeared from thin air along with various bottles of shapes and sizes.

"Bandage anyone who's bleeding, we don't want people bleeding out before we can get to them!" Madame Pomfrey said in a clipped tone. As the boy to bandage people on the farthest side of the stage, I turned to Madame Pomfrey, anxiety in my gut.

"How many people do think we will have time to save?" I ask.

Madame Pomfrey didn't stop working, but she let out a sigh and said, "As many as we can."

I felt the gravity of our time limit rest down heavier on my heart. I whirled back around and started a new person, taking care to move as a quickly as I could without sacrificing success. There was an almost drug-like rush to this, it felt good to help, even under these circumstances. I could have almost smiled if the situation weren't so grim because it had only been a few years since I had been too terrified to do things I was now doing as second nature.

**Fourth Year**

"Preston, would you be so kind as to roll up these bandages while I go have a word with Hagrid?" Madame Pomfrey asked me, lifting up her hat off the chair next to her desk, preparing leave. I nodded, happy to help the nurse in what ever way possible. Ever since Madame Pomfrey had told me I had a gift for healing spells and potions I felt quite content being in the hospital wing.

In the distance I heard the Hospital wing door click shut. For a few minutes there was only the sound of rolls of bandages rubbing against each other in my hands and the occasional drip of water from some sink in the main room. Then I heard a opening of a door and a voice,

"Hello is anyone in here?"

I nearly dropped the roll of bandage I had been holding and quickly scurried out of Madame Pomfrey's office to greet whoever had just entered the hospital wing.

"Sorry! Madame Pomfrey's just went out-" I practically shouted as I scrambled out of the room until I saw who it was, "Oh Turner, it's you."

"Hey there Badgy girl!" Turner said his face breaking into a huge, careless smile. There was something about the way he moved about that put me on edge, his face was flushed red and his eyes were glazed as well.

"Are you drunk?" I asked, shocked and anger.

"Course not! What do you take me for? A hooligan?" Turner responded letting out a shaking laugh that shocked me even more. When he finally calmed down, his eyes drooped down sleepily as he said, "But I sure feel dizzy!"

"Turner do you have a fever?" I asked tentatively reach my hand out and pressing this to his forehead. The moment my fingers touched his forehead, I felt the heat coming off his skin.

"My goodness aren't you a bit familiar with me Badgy?" Turner said, grabbing my wrist and pulling it off his sweaty forehead and examining my hand like it was a foreign fauna, "You have very small fingers." He muttered, suddenly.

"Turner, maybe you should lay down." I said, walking to his hand and wrapping my arm around his waist. Almost instantly I felt Turner lean his weight on me, "God, you weigh a ton!" I exclaimed.

"Trying to get me to bed are you? Your really quite sly for a fourteen year old." Turner comment as his knees began to buckle. It took considerable effort to get him to the nearest hospital bed and when I did, he flopped down like a sack of flour. There was a muffled sound which was clearly Turner talking into the sheet and half-heartly I rolled him over and helped him lay down properly in the bed.

I turned my back on Turner and quickly busied myself with making a cold washcloth to put on his forehead. I racked my brain, desperately as I tried to remember a curse, or spell that gave a person a delirious fever and how to cure it but I could not remember. But at the very least I knew how to treat a normal muggle fever after taking care of Thomas's coughs and sniffles, and with that knowledge I would have to do my best. When I finished making the cloth, I whirled back around quickly placing the cloth on Turner's head and pulling blanket up around him.

As I did this, Turner suddenly said, in a thoughtful tone, "As I was saying Badgy, you should really go to the Yule Ball with me."

My mouth nearly fell open with shock.

"Don't look at me like its the first time I've asked you." Turner said acting as if I had offended.

"You never asked me that!" I snapped, grabbing a nearby chair and bucket (how hope I hope he wouldn't need it!) and pulling up next to his bed.

"Shh, your voice is very loud." Turner whimpered, pressing his fingers to his temple.

I swallow, biting my lip to keep from speaking.

"You shouldn't make that face," Turner said, nearly slurring his words. reaching out a hand that looked like he wanted to touch my face, but it feel uselessly at his side.

"And why's that Turner?" I asked, rolling my eyes.

"Because it makes me feel like I kicked a little blonde dog." Turner answered with an almost grumpy tone, and then said, "And stop calling me Turner."

"For a sick person your awfully bossy." I snorted.

"I'm not sick! Watch me!" Turner exclaimed, suddenly tried to get up. I jumped up and pushed him back down into the bed.

"What should I call you then?" I asked, pushing down a little harder on his shoulders. Turner gave way and fell backward, but as he did, Turner gripped my waist, taking me down with him. I wound up with my chest pressed up against his with my head thrown over his shoulder and his mouth very close to my ear

"You should call me Mason, not Turner." He whispered in my ear, his haggard breathes burning my exposed ear."Now say my name," the next word coming out as a slow exhale, "Sophie."

Suddenly my heart felt like it I had just run a mile, it hurt it was hammering so hard. I swallowed and then in an almost automatic response, whispered back, "Mason."

There was a deep, heavy exhale out of Mason's body as if he had been holding it for ages. I felt his hands release my waist and as I stood up, my face as red as a turnip, he said, "Good hufflepuff."

There was a moment of heavy awkward silence in which I gathered up the fallen cloth and got a new one, and I grabbed the bandages out of Madame Pomfrey's office and started to roll them up. It seemed to stretch on and on, and just as I about to curse Madame Pomfrey for being gone so long, the door creaked out and and she stepped in.

"Oh my! Mr. Turner what has happened to you?" She exclaimed as her pretty little eyes feel on Turner-I mean...I mean Mason in the bed.

"I think he has a fever." I answered instantly, standing up in my seat the moment Madame Pomfrey noticed us.

"Oh dearie, I do believe you are right!" Madame Pomfrey exclaimed and instantly we went to work whipping a potion and waving wands. In this rush I kept the memory of what had happened before Madame Pomfrey had arrived and even for years after. It was the first time heart ever truly hurt at the sound of my own name, and when I grew older I realized it hurt because Mason had said it.


	5. Fifth Year

Madame Pomfrey was clutching my hand so hard, I thought she would nearly break it as the whole of Hogwarts shuffled outside to face the end of armistice. Several wounded men and woman followed out after us, desperate to show their solidarity to the cause against He Should Not- I mean Voldemort. But I felt my heartbeat hitting against the walls of my ribcage, I was scared, so scared.

Ahead of me I felt my heart leap to my throat as I saw curly red-haired head, but when the head turned revealing the face, my heart fell, it was not Pippa. Where was she? I thought, and Pier? And Mason? Were they alive? Dead? Cursed? Gone? The worry made me feel even more sickened than the fear.

"Sophie, it'll alright." Madame Pomfrey said, saying her words as though she didn't believe them, "Nothing to fear but fear itself," she said, patting the top of my hand. I realized I have been squeezing her hard.

"I'm sorry I'm just so worried about Pippa and Pier and-" I shook my head, my voice was shaking to hard. I was near tears and I knew it. I hated this battle, I hated the blood and the death, all I wanted was for it to end.

"I know, Sophie," Madame Pomfrey said and she let go of my hand and then turned to fully face me, "Go find them."

"What? But the wound-"

"I am more than capable of managing with the amount of hands I have at the moment," Madame Pomfrey said with a clipped tone before softening and saying, "Before that horrible man talks about death and evil, just look for them." Before I could even argue, Madame Pomfrey look and at with sad eyes and just said go, "_Go_."

I didn't have the will to argue over this, I knew I should have stayed but the sheer panic I felt not knowing if the three of them were dead or not was maddening. I would be useless to Madame Pomfrey right now, but at lease I would be able to do something if I was out in the field looking for them.

I shouldered my way through the crowd, following a basic instinct and trusting it as it led me almost directly where I wanted to be.

"_Pier!" _I exclaimed, grabbing Pier from behind around middle and hugging him tightly.

"Sophie! Gosh I've been looking for you everywhere." Pier said with relief, his massive arms engulfing me in a hug. He smelled like pine trees and fresh air, I felt like I was safer than before.

"Where's Pippa?" I asked, as we pulled back.

Pier bit his lip and look down, "I don't know."

My stomach lurched to my throat, "What happened."

"A lot of explosions, the screaming, I could barely see or hear. One minute she was next to me," He looked up as he said the next part, "And next minute I couldn't find her anywhere."

I swallowed and put on a determined face, gripping Pier's bulky shoulder with my hand, "We'll find her."

The corners of Pier's mouth perked up and he gripped my shoulder, "We'll find both of them."

"Messy bloods forever?" I asked, jokefully, strentching my hand out and suprising myself a little that I even said that dangerous inside joke here.

"You've got some serious blood saying that here but," He gripped my hand, "Messy bloods forever." He repeated his green eyes twinkling with mischief. Pier was a muggle blood but he never let it stop him from destroying his OWL exams or prevent him from chasing after Pippa, who came from a Pureblood line.

And then the monster began to speak again. He spoke of death and evil, of power and betrayal. Our hero was dead, and we would all follow if we didn't follow after Voldemort. He spoke of the failure of muggle blood and the higher power of pure wizard blood When he paused to allow us to switched side, I tensed wondering who agree the muggle blood spoiled wizard power. I was half-blood but even then I had face more than enough hated for something I couldn't control. Pier's hand squeezed mine and I looked at him and saw a kind of promise in his eyes, a promise that those who matter didn't think that way and a promise to find Pippa and Mason.

I squeezed back, returning the promise. I found myself suddenly relaxing a little, as long as we were together we would be okay. And we would find Pippa and Mason, I told myself now completely ignoring the dark wizards rant. No matter what he said, nothing could drive a wedge between the four of us, blood was not thicker than this friendship.

And this fact had already been proven.

**Fifth Year**

"Stupid bloodline." I said bitterly between wiping my nose on the back of my hand. I was hiding in the back corner of the Turner's massive library, the large bookshelves drowning out the sound of the party just outside the door.

In the beginning I had been excited about going to Mason's birthday party, or rather ball since Mason was insanely rich. But when Pippa, Pier and I arrived, my nerves grew when I realized that Mason was the only Ravenclaw in a family of Slytherins. And by Slytherins, I mean a foot away from funding _You Know Who_ and his Deatheaters. While Pippa had been gushed over, Pier and I had been glared at making it obvious that the Turner's knew about out muggle genes and had told all the guests. We were pariahs and Mason had yet to have a spare second to speak to either of us as his parents had been ensuring that his every moment was spent dancing with beautiful girls they aproved of.

But that wasn't why I was crying, because I wasn't jealous or anything. I mean to be jealous I would have had to like Mason, which of course I don't. I was crying because of Mason's mother's friends had swarmed me like locusts the moment Pier left to dance with Pippa, and they were not a pleasent bunch.

When I had first seen Camilla walking across the dance floor with her friends in her flanks I hadn't expected what had come next. For a woman who had been out of Hogwarts for a year and held such an amazing mature look fo beaty, you wouldn't expect such petty and childlish bullying.

But you would be wrong.

"Sophie?" I heard my name and looked up.

Although the shadows of the library and the dim sliver of moonlight that escaped out from a crack between the curtians behind me made only his silhouette visible, I knew it was Mason instantly. My heart hammered against my ribcage and I tried to try dry my eyes, stop sniffling, and collect myself as quickly as possible.

"Yea, just looking at-" I scrambled for a lie and quickly turned to face the bookshelf. "these books."

Mason stepped forward and reached out and grabbed a book off the shelf in front of me. He held the book into the pale moon light and instantly my face flushed with embrassment as he read the title aloud,

"Quidditach for experts," Mason said in a thoughtful voice looking down at the cover before looking at my face with a raised eyebrow, "If I recall correctly when you fell off your broomstick first year, you swore you would never touch another one. So why excaltly are you reading a book on a sport you despise that is entirly broomstick riding?"

Nettlesticks, I thought, I had been caught in a lie.

"What happened?" Mason asked, I saw his body shift in the darkness, it looked like he was crossing his arms.

"Nothing, in fact I was just about to go back to the party." I said, raising my chin in definace and taking a step to move past him.

And then I heard voices enter the library, femine and cold. My stomach lurched as I recongized them as Mason's sister's voice and one of her unpleasant friends.

"Mason are you in here?" It was Camilla's voice, "He must be somewhere with those friends of his."

"The blood traitor, the mud blood and the half blood. Such interesting company your baby brother keeps." The friend mused her voice getting closer with every word.

I whirled around and looked at Mason with pleading eyes, "Hide me." I said, letting every inch of desparation I felt enter my voice.

Mason seemed to understand in almost an instant, and grabbing me by my shoulders he pushed me backward into the curtains which engulfed us in their dark folds. With the cold glass of the window pressed against my back and Mason's warm breath against my face, I waited with baited breath.

"I know, but honestly my parents and I have tried everything to make Mason see reason. Bribes, beautiful girls everything, but he won't have it!" Camilla exclaimed then let out a heavy sigh, "Especially with those three."

"I've heard rumors about it, picking the table scraps over the feast, he is simply insane." The friend said, he voice visibly annoyed, "He even turned down my sister Primrose for the Yule Ball in favor of asking that-that _half blood_."

I felt ill, they were talking about me.

Camilla let out a dark laugh, "You should hear how he speaks of her, as though she is the most perfect girl he has ever met."

In the silverly moonlight that shone down from the window and illumanted the inside of the curtain, I saw Mason face flush red all the way up to his ears. My heart squeezed with a kind of excitement I hadn't experienced before.

"You would think the most perfect girl in the world would be a little strong against some critism" The friend said with a giggle.

"Yes you would think." Camilla laughed, "But you would think wrong. Ugh lets get out of here, it smells like musty old paper."

As their footsteps slowly died away into silence, I sighed in relief. and grabbing Mason's shoulders for support and lean past him to poke my head out of curtians. They were gone.

Stand up straight again, I saw a strange look on Mason's face.

"What is it?" I asked.

It happened so suddenly it took a full second before I was able tp register what was happening. Mason grabbed my shoulders and hauled me up against him, pressing his mouth against mine. Mason was kissing me, I thought dreamily, and I was kissing him back. My hands did as they pleased and traveled over Mason's shoulders and into his hair, my fingers twisting into his curls. Mason nudged my mouth open with his tongue and deepen the kiss and I just went along with it.

I don't know how long we would have stayed their had Pier and Pippa not found us, killing the mood and instantly pushing Mason and I back into blatant self denial of our feelings. But I could never deny to myself that there was something special about kissing Mason, a strange feeling of _this is what is suppose to happen_. Kissing Mason felt right.

When I find Mason I'll never deny myself that rightness again.

**BLAME COLLEGE NOT ME**


	6. Sixth Year

The chasos that exploded after the death of the snake was utter disorder. Spells were flying, people were cheering or screaming or some combonation of the two. A mob of wizards, witches and creatures of the magic world restarted a fight that seemed like it would never end. Somehow Pier and I mangaed to stay together, but still I felt alone, I needed to find Mason and Pippa before my heart burst from anxiety. Yet the search was becoming more dire as the battle began to reach its peak, currently Pier and I were pinned down out by death eaters.

"_Incendio!__" _Pier yelled, raising his head above the column we were hiding behind for only a moment to cast the spell before, ducking back down behind the fallen column we were using as defense.

The screams from other various battles around us blocked out the sound of the words the Death Eaters were using to cast their spells, but I didn't have a doubt it was the _killing_ curse.

"_Incarcerous_!" I pointed my wand at the feet of the closest Death Eater and I waved my wand. Thick ropes sprang from my wand and wrapped themselves all the way up his body like a large snake, the man fell forward unto his face and before he could utter a word of release, I added, "_Stupefy_!"

"Get down!" I felt Pier grabbed my collar and I was pulled back to the floor before a stream burst of light could touch me, "Why didn't you kill him?" Pier asked before he himself popped back up and waved his wand, "_Confundo!"_

There was loud bang that shook the floor and I had to yell over the noise, "Because I don't want to be like them!"

"You mean able to survive a war?" Pier asked, peeking over the stone column. Another green jet of light whizzed past, far too close to Pier's face for comfort.

"You don't need to kill to win a war." I said fiercely. Determined, I peeked over the wall and aimed at the nearest death eater, "_Expelliarmus! Stupefy!"_

The Death eater had no idea what hit him before it was too late. He flew to the grow before his comrades even had time to prepare a counter attack.

I looked at Pier and flashed a grin, "You don't have to kill to win this war."

Pier opened his mouth to say something but his face suddenly went pale and he grabbed me and pulled me down to the floor, "Get- "

The sound of the stone barrier bursting was deafening, shattering the sturdy column into a million pieces. The force of the explosion knocked me backward into the wall behind me, my head swam and my vision blurred. Looking ahead of me, the world was tilted sideways and Pier was laying on the floor a few feet away, clutching his leg in agony, the sounds of his screams were drowned away by a ringing in my ear.

I tried to stand up to run to help him, but a foot suddenly came crashing down on my back and I fell back down.

"Well, look at this." The death eater chuckled, as he drove his foot into my ribs, "It was only a little Hufflepuff causing all this trouble." A hand reached down a grabbed my yellow tie and pulled my up with it.

"What about this one?" Another voice said in the distance. I turned my head to look and my body suddenly snapped back into itself, it was Pier and a Death Eater standing over him.

"What should we do with them?" The Death Eater holding me said with a ghastly grin.

"Exactly what they deserve," Said the other looking at the broken castle ceiling with a look of sickening joy, "And here it comes."

I looked up to where the Death Eater was looking and my heart began to frantically beat.

"No!" I screamed over and over, struggling against the Death Eater. He laughed manically as the Dementors drew closer, they're ghostly bodies swooping around the crowds like nightmares.

"Come on, pretty," The Death Eater grabbed my cheeks and pressed them together into a forced pucker, "The dementors are just dying kiss you."

My body shook in fear and cold but with what little bravery and strength I had, I bit hard into the Death Eater's hand. The metallic taste of blood filled my mouth and the Death Eater let out a howl of pain and threw me to the floor. I scrambled for my wand and raised it aimed at the Death Eater holding Pier's motionless body, "_Stupefy_!" I roared.

The Death Eater flew backward into the wall with a sickening crack, but I didn't care, I just threw myself onto my knees in front of Pier and yelled out the only spell I could think of which thoughts of saving Pier, Pippa and Mason running through my head,

"_Expecto Patronum!_"

Unlike those times when I had practiced in the Room of Requirement, instead of small shapeless vapor, a solid shape flew from my wand and charged at the dementors. It was a wolf, baring teeth and sending the dementors away from Pier and I. But the shapeless shadows refused to be left hungry, and leaving me be began to charge at the Death Eater that had held me captive.

Watching someone lose their soul is the most painful thing to look at. Watching the color fall from their face and fearful eyes grow dull is the saddest thing in the world. I screamed as I watched it, but unable to look away and my patronus seemed indifferent to the man, its only job to protect me and Pier. But to my horror, as the Dementors finished their meal and my heart sank as I watched the soulless man fall, my patronus began to fade.

"No! _Expecto Patronum_!_ Expecto Patronum_!" I yelled, tears in my eyes, but my wand refused to produce anything but flimsy white light. I turned around the Dementors closed in, aware of new prey, "Pier, Pier wake up!" I yelled, shaking him, but Pier didn't move.

Suddenly the coldness in my soul was unbearable and I turned to three Dementors standing over me. I threw my a One Dementor swooped closer and lifted its hood ever so gently, I opened my mouth to scream at the horror of the monsters face but suddenly I felt my body being pulled from my skin, the sheer force of the kiss lifting me to my feet. But then as quickly as it came the feeling left and I dropped to the ground to my knees, exhausted. I sat up again and tried to protect Pier, preparing to say a spell, any spell, but then again the feeling came again, and left. lashes of the day my mother died came over my vision, the misery, the sight my father crying on his bed and my brothers innocence being destroyed as I was forced to tell him mommy wasn't coming home. Over and over. The dementors were toying with me as if I were their food.

As I fell down again onto my stomach, but I could not raise my arms again to defend Pier. I just laid there thinking I had only ever felt this utterly hopelessly and depressed once before.

**Sixth Year.**

"I swear Sophie, if you would just relax about the whole thing, you and Mason would be together in a snap." Pippa said cheerfully, snapping her own fingers with emphasis. "It's that simple."_  
_

"It's that simple." I repeated darkly, skimming the pages of the very large book in my hand for facts on ingredients for potions before slamming it shut, placing the book back on shelf and saying "Expect for the fact that Mason loathes me and all we do is bicker."

"That's because you both like each other so much!" Pippa exclaimed, nearly dropping the books she was holding.

The Librarian attention had been caught now, and shushed us loudly before returning to whatever she had been doing moments ago.

Stifling a giggle at Pippa's expense I said in a whisper, "Pippa, I wish I could say that Mason and I were going to live a happily ever after alone side you and Pier but that's not-"

"You love him" Pippa chirped.

"I what him?" I asked, my voice raised in shock.

"SHUSH!" The librarian repeat, holding and finger to her pinched lips and and giving us a glare.

"Sorry, sorry" I apologized sweetly before turning around glaring at Pippa who was laughing at my reaction. "I could never love someone like Mason. I might have a small, small crush on him but never love him!"

"But you do." Pippa said with a smile, as she put an arm over my shoulder and guided me deeper into the library, "Ever since that first time you saw him on the train, you have been in love with Mason. I can see in your eyes when you see him, clear as day."

"Pippa," I was choking on my words, "I don't-"

And then we rounded the corner and at the end of the isle in the back corner was a couple in the throws of tongue-tying kissing. The boy was pressed up against the corner, his hands on the girls shoulders, while she pushed herself against him. From the sounds it sounded like they were enjoying themselves.

Mason seemed to be at least.

"Oops," The girl said in a sickly sweet, innocent voice, noticing our presence, but not bothering to move backward from Mason.

I wanted to die at that moment. I couldn't even process what I was looking at, just this hazy image of what I was looking at and all I could feel was an intense pain in my heart.

After the most painful silence of my life, I said, "Like I was saying I don't love him."

I turned around, not saying a word to anyone, I just wanted to walk away. I wanted to cry, I wanted to just let out of all bottled up hurt in my chest and I just couldn't fall apart there.

"Sophie, wait-" Mason called after me and when I felt the grip of his hand on my wrist a rage filled my chest.

I hadn't realized my wand was out and I was crying until I said, "_Petrificus Totalus_!"

And I ran as fast as I could away.

I wanted to run away now, but my legs won't work and everything feels hopeless and heavy. My eyesight is starting to blur and maybe I'm going insane the dementors are scattering, fleeing from their hard earned target.

Ahead of me something is glowing, its a patronus.

The white animal charges at the dementors, baring sharp, but beautiful teeth. It's a wolf, the same patronus as mine, but I didn't cast it.

"Sophie!"


	7. Seventh Year

"Sophie!"

I felt myself being hauled up and pressed against a warm, solid chest. I was nearly in tears, grabbing the back of his shirt and just breathing the smell of books and polished wood.

"Why in bloody hell did you come back?" He mutter into my ear.

"Mason," I said with a cracked voice, holding him as tightly as possible. I need to prove myself that this was real, that I wasn't dead or dreaming.

He pulled me back and looked at my face, cradling it carefully in his hands, "Are you okay? Did they-"

There was a loud bang and bits of the ceiling came crumbling down. Mason ducked me under his arms as we were shrouded in dirt and grim. Somehow, this explosion reminded me I was in the middle of a battle, hugging a boy, I had very much wanted to kill a few hours ago.

"No, no I'm fine. Are you alright?" I answer, gripping his shoulders and trying to stand up, but my legs felt like jello and Mason had to throw his arm around my waist to hold me up.

"Faring a bit better than you," He said, with an almost joking manner.

"I'm fine, I swear, I am just dizzy." I said gripping his arm to steady myself.

"I think you need to sit down." Mason trying to lower me to the floor, I resisted.

"No. I said I'm f-" My words stopped dead in my throat when I looked to my left and saw Pippa. "Oh god."

She was sobbing so loud I could hear her over the roar of the battle, bending over Pier, one hand clutching his, other trying to apply pressure to the bloody stump that was left of his leg. The Death Eaters, in all their horrid glory, and cut off Pier's leg and just left him lying there to bleed out. Pier lay there pale and shaking, holding back screams of agony behind his lips. He was putting on a brave face for Pippa, but it was slipping just as his life was.

"Sophie, help him. Sophie please." Pippa begged.

In a automatic movement, I dropped to my knees and grabbed my wand off the floor before crawling to Pier's side. I lifted up my wand,

"_Sanguis._" I said weakly, my wand let off light blue sparks that fizzled out.

I tried to block out the panic that was steadily rising in my chest, threatening to take over my sanity, and, with shaking fingers, I repeated,

"Sanguis!" My wand glowed with a blue light that I held up to Pier's leg and watched his wound stop bleeding. Suddenly, just as I had pulled bac my wand in relief, the wound began to sputter out blood again and my stomach squeezed in fresh panic, the wound was enchanted. I waved my wand again, "_Ferula._" Thick white bandages spun out from my wand and I carefully wrapped them over his stump with shaking fingers.

Suddenly, six bolts of light whizzed over our heads and knocked several robed wizards down. Smoke rose around us, as more explosions followed and it was becoming clear that the battle was moving outside, and we were in the middle of the path.

"We need to get him out of here," I said, throwing on of Pier's arms around my shoulders and motioning Pippa to do the same. It took all the strength I had left in me, but somehow, through miracle or magic, we managed to drag Pier's body to a wall.

"It's going to be alright," Pippa said between tears, as I applying pressure to Pier's leg as the white bandages slowly become dyed with blood, "It's going to be alright Pier, just stay with us."

I turned to Mason, and snapped sharply "I need something to tie to his leg _right now_!"

"Merlin's beard, you're a mess." Mason said, ripping off a piece of his sleeve and handing it to me. Swiftly as I could, I tied it higher up on Pier's leg, my hopes of saving his leg with magic already dead.

Pier laughed and tried to push himself up, "You can't expect me to die without taking Pippa's-" His sentence was cut short by his arm suddenly going out from under him. He fell to the floor and his head rolled back, like he had just fallen asleep. He was losing more and more blood and I couldn't think of what else to do.

"Oh God, what do we do?" Pippa asked, her tears spilling out of her eyes as she held Pier's hand tighter. "_Sophie what do we do_?"

Suddenly there was a bang and Pippa went flying backward into the wall, with a crack.

For a horrible moment, my body froze as the panic, fear and anxiety settled on me. Mason was saying something but I couldn't hear. Pippa was taking out her wand and pointing in the direction the spell had come from but my brain hardly registered the sight of it. I couldn't think. I didn't know what to do. I felt like I was drowning in this battle. I could barely see, my head ached and my bones were like sponge. I just wanted this all to be over. I just wanted a moment to think, to rest, to give in to every emotion that I had pushed down. I wanted this battle over. I needed it to be over.

Why had I even come back?

**Seventh Year-Moments before the second Battle of Hogwarts**

"Go on, Thomas," I said gripping my brother's shoulders. He was only twelve, and he seemed to know there was a possibility he would never see me again. A strong possibility.

"No, not without you!" He snapped, looking up at me fiercely.

"Thomas stop acting like this. It's not a decision you get to make, now go!" I said, placing to hands on my brother's shoulders and turning him to face the portrait, where groups of people were lining up to leave the castle.

"Why do you have to be the one who stays!" He yelled, his red tie swinging violently as he turned around and glared at me, "I've already lost my Mum, I'm not losing my sister! If your going to fight, I'm going to fight with you. I'll only go, if you come with me!"

I opened my mouth to loudly list all the reasons why he had no control over my choices and all the reasons he had to listen to me but I was interrupted.

"Sophie?" I heard Pippa's voice behind me.

I turned around and saw Mason, Pier and Pippa walking toward me and Thomas. My heart gave a little jump as I watched Mason come forward, and although I tried to quiet it, I knew by now it was futile. Still, the burn of that day when I walked in on him and that pretty girl had seemed to heal a bit, I knew I could never have Mason, I was just waiting for the day that my heart would accept that.

"Are you going through to the Hog's Head?" Pippa asked, glancing down at my brother with the sisterly concerned he was accosted to receive from her.

"No, I'm not," I said quickly, and then I cast a glare at my brother, "But Thomas is."

"No, I'm not!" Thomas exclaimed, and turned to look at his idols, Pier and Mason,"Tell her she has to come with me!"

"Stop being stubborn and trying to get my friends to back you up." I said, "They are going to agree with me."

"Thoma-" Pier started but Mason cut in.

"Of course she is, we all are." Mason said with a easy tone.

My mouth dropped open, and there was a moment of shock silence between all of us. Mason may have been brillant and could read a book and understand a spell faster than anyone I knew, but he was also one of the rare people who may have been put in the wrong house. Mason was the idiot who wandered in places he shouldn't, the idiot who stood up for little first years against Slytherin seventh years. Mason was brave, and yet he was backing out of a battle that would affect our every waking moment for the rest of our lives.

"Come again?" Pippa asked, looking at Mason like he had grown a second head.

"Of course we are." Mason said easily and then he glanced as Pier with a strange look in his eyes, "Right?"

"Yeah, of course" Pier said with uneasy tone and questioning look, "We don't need to stay here."

"Since when in bloody hell did you get the power to make decisions for me." I snapped, enraged by their cowardice. It was a battle for our home, for our future! And yet they wanted to run away with their tail's between their legs. "I am staying and fighting, and you and Pier, and even Pippa if she likes, can go and take care of my brother in the Hog's Head."

I was about to march away from the Room of Requirement, when Mason grabbed my hand. Enraged by his touch, I whirled around.

"Don't touch me, Turner." I snapped pulling out my wand a holding it so close to Mason's face it almost touched his nose, "I mean it.". Instead of letting go, Mason held my arm tighter and glared at me in a sudden rage.

"Look, we are all going through that door and we are all going to the Hog's Head." Mason snapped, point at the portrait, "Thomas isn't my brother, he's yours and," Mason said pointing now at me, and then in a fierce and almost terrifying voice snapped, "_If you love someone so much that even when you can't stand it how stubborn they are in the face of danger, then you should be doing everything you can to get them as far away as possible even at your own expense."_

I swallowed, confused by his sudden passion over Thomas's well being, and muttered out, "Right."

Mason suddenly seemed to be aware of what he had just done, let go of my arm. There was a heavy silence where four of us said nothing expect look at each other. Thomas probably feeling more awkward than he had ever felt in his life said, in a small voice,

"I'll go if she goes."

"Well, good," Pier interjected awkwardly, "We are all on the same page so Sophie and Pippa, you should take Thomas through first and we will follow."

"Why us first?" I asked, suspiciously.

Mason swallowed and looked everywhere but at me and Pier answered in a forced easy tone, "Because women and children first, don't you know the rules?"

"What rules?" Pippa asked, confused, she and I turned and looked at the group ahead of us and saw it was almost entirely made up of people under seventh year.

"Those rules, Pippa," Pier said a little quieter, and then he placed his arm around her and Thomas and began to walk toward the group.

I turned to look at Mason and tilted my head to the side, "Something isn't right here. I know it isn't."

Mason gave me an exhausted look, "I have no idea what you're talking about, Hufflepuff, but that group is about to leave so, you should go line up with your brother."

"What?" I asked, turning around to see that the group was being to shuffle down a dark earthen pathway.

"Come on, pick up your feet or you'll miss them." Mason said, putting his large hands on my back and pushing me toward the group. And, just as I was about to be swallowed by the current of people moving forward, and just as Thomas got his hand firmly clamped on mine, Mason whispered something. He whispered it so quietly, and in such a low voice, I was sure I wasn't suppose to hear the intimate words he said.

"_When did I fall so helplessly for you?_"

I was instantly swept up in the current of people, and when I turned around to question Mason about his words, I realized he was gone. He wasn't with the group. The further we got from the portrait the more it dawned on me that he wasn't coming to the Hog's Head. With each step the horror of the situation became more and more real. And when Thomas and I were half way to the bar, and everything suddenly clicked.

I didn't know who I was angrier at, Mason, for lying, or myself, for falling for the lie. But Mason's trap had been a clever one, he knew I would put my brother first and with Thomas's shaking hand holding onto mine, I didn't have a chance to go back until Thomas and I were standing, safely, in the Hog's Head.

I was about to turn around and march back through the door, but Thomas held on to my hand tighter, and looked at me with a questioning look.

"You're going back?" Thomas asked, his voice becoming angry.

I glanced at the clock and saw I only had minutes to spare. So I went down on one knee and held my brother's little shoulders in my hands.

"Yes, I am, and," I said, cutting Thomas off before he could argue, "You are going to let me because I need to go back their and fight for you, and Dad and all the other people who have Muggle parents and Muggle friends. I am going back their to fight for Hogwarts. I am going back to fight for Pippa, Pier and," I paused before I continued, "Mason, I am going back to fight for Mason. I am going to back to fight for people I love. To you understand, Thomas?"

Thomas nodded, and gave me hug.

"You'll be okay right?" Thomas asked, letting out a sniff.

I didn't want to lie to Thomas, so instead I squeezed him a little tighter and said, "Take care of Dad, okay?"

"I love you, I always loved you even when I say you look like goblin"

"I love you too, you little imp." I pulled back and noted that we were both crying, and before I could change my mind, I stood up and went back toward Hogwarts.

Pulled out of my flashback,I remembered why I had to come back. Why I had come to hell. And why I was going to hold it together until the battle was over, no matter what the outcome.

I rushed down to help Pippa up and she winced as she sat up, her recently fired wand stilled clutched in her hand.

"Are you alright?" I asked, looking at her carefully.

"Yes, yes, " She lied, holding her side and going to sit by Pier, "Please, we need to help him."

"What a Hufflepuff," I said with a smile, sitting down next to her and instructing her where to apply pressure. "Mason, how are you holding up?" I called over to him.

"Oh, wonderfully, thank you so much for your-" He let out a grunt as he pointed his wand at the Deatheater, who flew backward in to the chasos,"_Concern_."

"Oh God, Alex! Someone! Someone please help us!" I heard someone yell out, I snapped my head up and saw a boy trying to drag his unconsciousness friend out of the battle to the side.

I didn't need to think, I really got up and ran out toward the roar of the battle and instantly was helping the boy pull his friend over.

"Thank you! Thank you!" The boy said over and over, I nodded but said nothing in return as I threw Alex's arm over my shoulders and, keeping my wand raised, pulled Alex over to the side.

"_Are you mental_?" Mason yelled, coming over to my side to lay the boy Alex down. "Are you actually insane!"

"Only a little," I said with a grin.

"Bloody hell," Mason said angrily, and he grabbed my face between his hands and crushed my mouth against his. It was brief, but it was passionate. I didn't even get a chance to close my eyes before he pulled back, _"_Alright, what do we do now?"

I had to blink a few times before I could remember what I was doing, or thinking, before Mason kissed me.

"Wands, everyone get out your wands. Pippa keep pressure on Pier, Mason try to keep us all from being killed and," I paused when I got to the boy's name, and gestured to him to fill it in.

"Michael."

"And Michael watch me carefully, cause I don't think I'm going to be able to show you again."

Somehow that's how I spent the remainder of the Battle. I don't remember watching Voldemort fall, or seeing the Great Harry Potter appear from thin air, but I remember pulling various people away from the war and with Mason and Pippa and whoever else happened to be nearby, saving whoever we could.

And somehow, we lived to see the end of the battle.

**I feel I should mention there's one more chapter.  
**


	8. Nineteen Years Later

"How are you feeling?" Pippa asked me as I walk over and sat down in the seat next her.

"I've been better," I answered as I leaned my head against her shoulder. I let out a long held sigh of contentment and exhaustion, and looked down at my long, pale fingers. Only a few moments ago, that had been covered in blood only a few moments ago, I had been up to my neck in injuries, running around with Madame Pomfrey trying to be a million people at once. I almost broke down in tears of joy when a flocks of Healers from _St Mungo_'s rushed into the hospital wing assuring Madame Pomfrey and I that we were free to rest for a while. Madame Pomfrey and I both protested being replaced but we were shuffled away from our patients and promised that we were welcome to return after a rest.

So instead of even bothering with trying to sleep I came to tend to Pier with Pippa.

"How is he?" I asked, trying not to look at the spot on the blankets where the outline of his leg ought to have been.

"Better than before," Pippa said, not taking her eyes off a sleeping Pier, "He's been in and out of it a few times, and the painless spells are helping." She turned to me and with a laugh said, "He's said my name a few times, which I'll be sure to tease him about later."

I returned the smile but, really to tired to ignore the question that had been dwelling in my heart since the battle was over, I finally asked her,

"Can the-" I started, but Pippa had already read my mind and answered before I could finish,

"No, they can't regrow it." Pippa said quietly, not taking her eyes off Pier's sleeping form, "The curse that chopped off his leg prevents that sort of thing. I was there when they told him. He-Jackson- he just," I watched her squeeze her shaking hands as tears welled in her eyes, but to my surprise, she was smiling, "He just asked if the rest of him work well enough to get married."

"No way," I said in shock, happy shock, but shock.

"Yeah." She let out a sniff and wiped her eyes before she looked at me, "I mean were only seventeen and we haven't even finished school but-" Pippa looked up, "When we were fighting, I thought I had lost him. I can't ever go through that again. I barely survived that grief the first time."

"So then what are you going to say?" I asked.

Pippa bite her lip and said, "I think I'm going to say-"

"Look its not really fair if you answer before I properly ask." Pier interjected.

Both, Pippa and I, jumped and in our seats and I resisted the urge to let out a shriek of ecstatic joy and surprise. Pier gave a stern look to Pippa,

"Unless Sophie beat me to the punch, I haven't technically asked yet." He said as he sat up higher in his bed and crossed his arms over his broad chest.

I smiled, and said with a wink, "She wouldn't even pause if I asked."

"Well, how about I ask, and then, you act cocky." Pier retorted, raising his eyebrows and tilting his head.

"Why do you guys always have to act like its a competition?" Pippa asked in an exhausted voice, putting her head in her hands.

Pier and I laughed, but my laughter died in my throat as I looked up from Pier and Pippa to see Mason standing in the Hospital Wing doors, looking around the room, searching for someone.

My heart thumped.

"Um," I said as I turned back to Pippa and Pier but they were looked at with the kind of proud smile you usually only see on parents when their children are going off on their own.

"Just go," Pippa said, smiling.

"But-" I began,

"Go." Pier said a little sternly.

I swallow down what fear I had rising from my heart and nodded.

"I'll see you guys later." I said, with a wave before I stood up and walked over to Mason.

With each step I could hear my heart getting a little louder, thumping, practically jumping out of my chest as my feet slowly got closer and closer to Mason. Until finally I was standing right in front of him.

"Looking for someone?" I quipped in a perfectly even tone, forcing myself to look him in the eyes.

"Yup, you." He answered, putting his hands in his pockets and leading against the door, "You still busy here?"

"No, the healers told Madame Pomfrey and I to take a break so I've been with Pippa and Pier." I explained, gesturing to the pair of them talking and smiling at each other.

"Free for a walk?" Mason asked in a kind of off handed way that made my chest hurt.

"Uh, yea, sure." I rambled, heart beating so loudly that I almost couldn't hear anything.

"Good, come on, then." Mason turned, pushed open the door for me and we walked out of the hospital wing.

There was a few minutes of extremely awkward silence as we walked around the broken castle with no particular direction.

But there was in silence in my head, Millions of thoughts were flying through my head. Questions I wanted to ask, answers for questions I thought he would ask and a thousands of words I couldn't get my mouth to form. Finally, just as we reached a large window on the second floor of the castle, I summoned what little courage I had and opened my mouth to make all my questions in my head known.

"Why did you come back, Sophie?" Mason asked as he stopped dead in his tracks and turned to face me.

Totally unprepared for that particular question, I blurted out the first thing that came to my mind, "Because of you." And quickly catching myself I added, "And Pippa, and Pier."

Mason looked down at the floor and then looked out the window, and with a disappointed tone said, "Of course."

Disappointed, I thought, means he wanted a different answer. And that thought gave me courage to ask the question that had been nagging at me since the Battle finished.

"Did-did you mean what you said" I stuttered out, "When we were in the Room of Requirement?"

Mason entire body rigid and he let out a shaky laugh, "Yeah, sorry about that but I knew Pier wanted Pippa-"

"You know what I'm talking about, Mason," I said in a tired voice, "Please, the truth."

Mason winced, and turned to look at me, "The bit about how 'I'm dying for the right girl' or the part where I was helplessly in love with you?"

I smiled, "The second part, the dying for the right girl thing is new."

Mason let a dark laughed, and looked up at the ceiling, "Well, that sounds about right."

I should have been satisfied with what I had gotten from him, but this wasn't enough. I pressed again, "Did you mean it?"

"What do you think?" Mason almost yelled as he suddenly turned his head and looked at me fiercely.

"I want to hear you say it!" I snapped.

"Fine," Mason snapped right back. "I did mean it because I am in love with. I have been in love with you for seven years. The bad days of my life are the days that you aren't a part of." When Mason finished, he glared at me like he was a cornered animal and asked, wit his arms outstretched like he was open for a shot, "Satisfied or do you need anything else?"

"Just for you to hold still." I answered as I charged forward and grabbed Mason by his curly black hair and yanked his head against mine. I could feel the shock ripple through Mason but it only took a second for Mason to take a breath in and kiss me back. His hands were around my waist and he was holding me so close it almost hurt.

After seven years of tiptoeing around my feelings and standing on the edge of the what-could-be, this was all I wanted. This moment could not be anymore perfect, expect of one small thing that had pushed me through all of the hell of the battle.

When I pulled back from Mason, he was looking at me with a dreamy smile. I sweetly smiled back up at him and said in a sweet voice, "If you ever try to leave me behind again, you better pray I don't find you. Understand?"

**Nineteen Years Later.**

"I'm going to Hogwarts, I'm going to Hogwarts!" Poppy's voice rang through Platform 9 3/4. She was eleven now and aglow with the idea of going to Hogwarts like her parents had.

"Please stop singing!" Jack, our fourteen year old son, begged.

"Mom, please make her stop." Tom, our sixteen year old son, asked.

"Poppy, your brothers asked nicely." Was all I needed to say to get my youngest child to stop singing to annoy her brother.

"But, I'm just so excited!" Poppy chirped, as she took her father's hand and swung it back and forth. Her black curls bouncing in her pony-tail.

"I know, sweetie," Mason said as he mess up her hair. Poppy could always make her father melt.

"Oh, I think I see them." I commented as I looked through the mist that had gathered on the platform.

The Pier family walked toward us, Pippa and Jackson and their four children. The thirteen year old triplets, Eric, Josh and Wen, and their eleven year old son, Remy.

"It's him." Poppy said, scrunching up her nose in disgust.

"Poppy, be nice." I warned.

"I am, he's the mean one!" Poppy growled.

I let out a deep sigh and glance a Mason with a knowing smile. He shook his head, and patted the top of his daughter's head.

"Aw, Poppy, you just like your mother did when she was on this train for the first time." Pippa cooed as the family came closer.

"Compared to her father," Pier snickered, "Who had a black eye,"

"What? Uncle Mason had a black eye on the train?" Remy asked looking between his father and Uncle.

"Yea, he got it from his wife." Pippa responded as all of us helped load the bags unto the train.

"Along with a number of other injuries." Mason said, kissing me on the cheek as he leaned past me to hand off a bag.

There was the last minute kisses and hugs, the goodbyes that were too short and the heartbreaking moment I always feel when I see the train pull away with another one of my children on it.

But, I couldn't help but smile as I watched from the window my little girl picked a fight with a boy sitting next to her in the compartment.

"She's gonna end up with him." I said with a smile.

"Why does it have one of your boys?" Mason asked as he took my head and look exasperatedly at Pier and Pippa

I squeezed his hand to get his attention and smiled at my husband, "Don't worry," I said soothingly, "If she's anything like me, we have nothing to worry about. She can take him."

Mason look relieve and smiled and kissed me.

All was well.


End file.
